Wholesome & Happy

I recently discovered that many of the beauty products I’ve been using have gluten. It started with my face lotion that was making my eyes puffy, my nose itch like crazy, and my face feel rashy. I sat down at my computer and researched every ingredient. Whoops…gluten. Then I went to my body lotion, lip balm, hair spray, body soap, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste…and you guessed it, almost every single one of them had gluten.

You can find all kinds of recipes on Pinterest for making your own body care products. Once you do a little research and get the basic idea, you can get creative using ingredients that appeal to you. You can order all of the ingredients I used on Amazon.com. I purchased all of the containers online from specialtybottle.com. I found they had the best variety and the best pricing.

On Day 1 I started with a couple of easier projects so I could experiment with solid and liquid oils and essential oils. Turns out, it’s incredibly easy. And SO much fun to create your own textures and scents.

This mixture set up very quickly! As soon as it hits a cooler object it starts to set up.

I made these the consistency of chap stick by just allowing them to cool in the tins. If you want a fluffier, kind of balmy or creamy texture, allow the oils to cool and set up in a mixing bowl, then whip with the whisk attachment on your mixer. Then just spoon it into the tins and smooth.

The Dreamy Sleep Salve recipe was courtesy of onegoodthingbyjillee.com. I used almond oil instead of vitamin E oil because vitamin E oil is typically derived from wheat germ which means it’s not gluten-free. And I tweaked the amounts on the oils just slightly.

Day 2 I moved on to a more involved experiment. But still SO easy!

Piping it into your jars of choice is as easy as using a zipper bag and cutting a small opening in one of the corners. I would avoid using your good piping bags.

You won’t believe how your skin feels after a night of being pampered with this cream.

~ Calming Chamomile Night Cream ~

8 ounces of organic raw unrefined shea butter, 8 ounces of virgin organic coconut oil, 2 Tablespoons of beeswax, 4 ounces of pure jojoba oil, 4 ounces of organic virgin olive oil, 2 Tablespoons of raw wild honey, and two tea bags with chamomile flowers, blackberry leaves, lemongrass, rose petals, spearmint leaves, lemon balm leaf, hibiscus flowers, lavender flowers, marigold flowers. You can purchase them already together or do your own. Mine are the Tazo Calm Chamomile tea bags. Add the tea bags to a double broiler and melt the shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil slowly. Add the jojoba oil and olive oil and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Add the honey and pour into a mixing bowl. Allow to rest in the fridge for about an hour. Place mixing bowl on stand mixer with whisk attachment and whisk until light and fluffy. This process will take some time. You will need to scrape down the sides and bottoms frequently until all is incorporated and smooth.

On Day 3 I decided to try my hand at making shower fizzies. When I have a migraine or I’m not feeling well, I love to shake a few drops of eucalyptus globulus, peppermint, or lemon essential oils onto the shower floor. If you haven’t tried it, DO! It helps a headache and nausea tremendously. The one downside is it washes away so quickly. A shower fizzie drenched in essential oils washes away slowly, allowing you to linger.

Scoop them into muffin papers (I found that the tinfoil lined ones worked better) and allow them to completely dry.

~ Sinus & Migraine Shower Bombs ~

1 1/2 large boxes of baking soda, 3 Tablespoons of potato starch, about 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 3 Tablespoons eucalyptus globulus essential oil, plus more for the tops after they dry. Add the baking soda and potato starch to a large bowl and whisk. Slowly add the water, mixing until you have a thick slurry, but not too thick and not too wet. Add the essential oil and spoon into muffin tins lined with muffin papers. Allow to dry completely, about 24 hours. Once they are dry and you’re ready to package them, put a few more drops of essential oil on the top of each one.

~ Rise & Shine Shower Bombette! ~

1 1/2 large boxes of baking soda, 3 Tablespoons of potato starch, about 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Lemon essential oil, and 60 drops of peppermint essential oil, plus more for the tops after they dry. Add the baking soda and potato starch to a large bowl and whisk. Slowly add the water, mixing until you have a thick slurry, but not too thick and not too wet. Add the essential oil and spoon into muffin tins lined with muffin papers (I used mini muffin papers for the Rise & Shine and regular for the Migraine). Allow to dry completely, about 24 hours. Once they are dry and you’re ready to package them, put a few more drops of essential oil on the top of each one.

So by the end of day 3 I was feeling pretty darn proud of my creations. It’s quite addictive! Not only that but it’s fun and relaxing and no too labor intensive.

Day 4 brought a luxurious body lotion with five different types of butters and oils and three kinds of essential oils.

~ Body Quench Luxurious Body Lotion ~

1/2 batch of my body butter without essential oils, 6.5 ounces of pure cocoa butter, 16 ounces of pure almond oil, 3 ounces of organic virgin coconut oil, 1 Tablespoon of spring water, 12 drops of lavender essential oil, 25 drops of peppermint essential oil, 20 drops of lemon essential oil. Make the 1/2 batch of body butter first. After it’s been whipped in the mixer, add the cocoa butter, and coconut oil (solid). Whip with the whisk attachment until thoroughly combined. This will take a while, you’ll need to scrape down the sides and bottom frequently until it is fully incorporated. With the mixer running on medium to medium high, slowly drizzle the almond oil into the whipped mixture about 1/4 cup at a time, allowing it to mix in thoroughly and fluff before adding the next 1/4 cup. Do this until all of the almond oil has been added. Whip on medium high scraping down the sides for 5 minutes. Slowly drizzle the water in a little at a time, whipping in between additions. Once all of the water has been incorporated, whip on medium high for 10 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom about every 2 minutes.

And lastly, Day 5 was completed with a scrub. This scent reminds me of the Seattle Market Spice Tea. Heavenly!

12 Comments on “Wholesome & Happy”

Sound lovely! In the UK we also have NATOrigin, who do skin care and amazing make up. All gluten free (last time I ordered anyway, which was last week!), and almost entirely natural. Well worth a go if making your own mascara, for instance, seems like too much faff!

It’s a shame that you have to do this, April, but you really cannot trust the manufacturers to tell you if there’s gluten in their goods, at least when it comes to personal hygiene products. I do think, however, that this is far healthier making your own, no matter whether you have issues with gluten. Good for you for seeking out a better way. 🙂

It is kind of annoying that they don’t use plain English when labeling products. Who has the time to stand in a store and look up every single ingredient on their smart phone before purchasing a product? And that’s assuming all consumers have a smart phone, which of course we know, they do not. But, with that said, making these items was a lot of fun and I use them daily with no ill effects whatsoever. So it is worth the time and the $$ to create my own.

It’s great you’re making your own products because you really can’t trust what’s in those brands that are so heavily promoted by super-models and celebrities. At least you know what’s going on to your skin. I would love some of your elbow scrub and I’ll pin this so I can make it in the new year xx